Super Star Wars – Does It Hold Up After 23 Years?

Twenty three years after its initial release on Super Nintendo, Super Star Wars has been re-released for the PS4 and it has people cringing as they remember how brutal video games used to be.

Taking the story of A New Hope and extending the environments to incorporate interactive gameplay, Super Star Wars takes you for an excruciating ride through George Lucas’s universe. I don’t mean to imply that the game isn’t fun – it is…. sometimes.

I didn’t bother buying the game for PS4 since I already had the cartridge and my Retron5. But seeing the re-released version made me pull out the game and give it a whirl for a few hours to re-experience the game I loved as a kid. I was glad I did – for about 20 minutes.

To be very clear, this game is well-made and I’m feeling pressed to find specific flaws. There just aren’t many. But as I sat and tried to get through even just the first few levels, I realized how difficult the game was. It took me two tries to progress through the first level and I simply gave up during the second. I needed a break. When I went back to playing I was able to finally pass the second level and that brought me into the Jawa level where I had to somehow make my way up through the rolling base by jumping on platform after platform.

I loved the game and I really enjoyed re-living part of the experience that is attached to so many memories I have of my childhood while I played with my twin brother and friends, but playing through the game reminded me of the vast differences between the 1990s gaming generation and post-modern gaming. Kids have the ability and the patience to repetitively play through levels to memorize the minute secrets that provide a simpler means to get through a level, as an adult I found myself simply saying “well that was fun, but I don’t have the time to play through every level.”

Do I think Super Star Wars is worth the $10 price tag? Yes. It’s especially worth the money for anyone younger than 25 who never had an experience with older games. But do I plan to spend more than an hour at a time on this game alone? No. Maybe if I had my buddy Blake with me I would. Because of that, I’m giving Super Star Wars a 7.5/10.